German Chocolate Cake

This is the traditional light chocolate cake with the coconut and pecan icing that we remember from our childhood. Note: if you are making the 3 tiered version, I highly recommend you make more of the icing. (It also doesn't hurt to do that if you are making the 2 layered version. Ha ha!) Please use the ingredient amounts in parentheses to increase the yield by about 50%. In response to the one-star review: Yes, it *was* originally called German's Chocolate Cake but most of the mixes, recipes and ads for selling a cake like this, that I see, call it "German Chocolate Cake". That is also what everybody I know calls it and what I would search for if I was looking for the recipe. Therefore, that's what I'm calling mine.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup boiling water
• 4  ounces  sweet cooking German chocolate
• 2  cups sugar
• 1  cup butter, softened
• 4  egg yolks
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1⁄2 cups cake flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  cup buttermilk
• 4  egg whites, stiffly beaten

• Coconut Pecan Frosting

• 1  cup sugar (1 1/2 cups)
• 1⁄2 cup butter (3/4 cups)
• 1  cup evaporated milk (12 oz. can)
• 1  teaspoon vanilla (1 1/2 tsp)
• 3  egg yolks (4 egg yolks)
• 1 1⁄3 cups flaked coconut (2 cups)
• 1  cup  chopped pecans (1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 9-inch square pans or 3 8-inch round pans. Line bottom of pans with wax paper.
2. Pour boiling water on chocolate, stirring until chocolate is melted; cool. Mix sugar and butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs yolk, one at a time. Beat in chocolate and vanilla on low speed.
3. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition until batter is smooth. Fold in egg whites.
4. Divide batter among pans. Bake square pans 40-45 minutes or round pans 35-40 minutes. Check for doneness with toothpick in center. Cool and top with Coconut-Pecan Frosting.
5. Coconut Pecan Frosting: Mix sugar, butter, milk, vanilla and egg yolks in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 12 minutes. Take off heat. Stir in coconut and pecans. Beat until spreading consistency. Allow to cool & thicken before icing cake.